In alternating chapters are David’s and Jenny’s story. David is an undercover police officer assigned to infiltrate and bring down a drug and gun running gang and Jenny is a young naïve college student. As the book opens, Jenny is attacked and raped by street hooligans and David comes to her rescue. Although they are drawn to each other, their lives are quite separate. In fact their stories barely intersect each other.

With the support of her family, Jenny moves from her apartment into safer surroundings and creates a new group of friends. She continues her studies. She also continues her commitment to disadvantaged people by volunteering at a shelter in a less than desirable part of Berkeley, the scene of her assault. As Jenny moves through her college years, her love relationships blossom and then break down, with the shadow of the rape forever haunting her.

David’s presence in the poor neighborhood where Jenny volunteers often gives fleeting moments of interaction, but his job dictates distance and secrecy. His story tracks his movements within the gang as he tries to bring them down.

These characters are so unlike each other. There is really nothing to draw them together other than the rape rescue. I couldn’t find any reason for their attraction. In my mind, I could attribute Jenny’s fascination of David as that of her champion, but I thought it a bit weird that someone of his age and street experience would be mesmerized by her. The story just didn’t feel right to me. As two separate stories they would have been more believable.

As an aside, this was by no means a fun, cutesy book, so why the ludicrous title?